Another? (Cass)

[Darian]

For the longest time he felt like he was at the bottom of a pit filled with swirling blackness, where light was quickly consumed before it even got a chance to show up there. A heavy smoke laid around the area, swirling around him, and thickening so much it was hard to breath. The ground felt ice cold beneath his feet, but the air was so humid, stifling even. He walked around blindly within the darkness, stumbling his way through until he suddenly felt the sensation like he was falling, and falling fast. The winds howled around him and whipped at his clothing, and as he fell he felt like something was ripping at his armor, and he felt prickles of pain all over his body. He could see a tiny spot of light at the bottom that constantly shifted shape into growling beasts, and other things to horrible to imagine. Darian flailed about trying to do anything to arrest his fall but nothing worked and he could feel the ground rushing up at him. Faster, faster, till he met the ground with a jolt.

Just then he woke up and his eyes shot open. It was bright outside with dawn light, and he supposed it was morning. It had only been a dream he said in his mind to calm his nerves. Slowly the images from the previous day filtered to him, and he shook his head to clear his drowsiness. I must have slept through the entire night he thought, and he noted that his arm had been bandaged up. " She helped me? " he said softly, the words unfamiliar to him. With thoughts of the woman in mind he glanced around to see where she might be.

[Cass]

"I think he's dead."

Cass shot a dark look at her imaginary friend. The annoying Zith merely shrugged and crawled back to the furthest corner of the tent. Looking back down at Darian Cass simply sat and stared at his body. It had been a good ten minutes and he still had not awaken. Cass reached across his barely moving form and carefully pressed her two fingers against his neck, searching for a pulse. It took a moment to find but eventually she found it. It was slow but still strong. That was a good sign, right?

"Y'know," her "friend" spoke up with a tired sigh, "Maybe it's about time you dealt with your wound. And maybe go back and grab the only free food nearby before the crows get to it." Cass looked down at her own wounded ankle and for once...her friend was right. The last thing she needed was to pass out from blood loss as well.

Crawling back over towards the front of the tent she began tearing apart strips of the tent, making more bandages. Once she had enough she carefully began wrapping the bandages around her own ankle, keeping them tight to stop the bleeding. After applying the makeshift bandages she crawled back over to Darian.

"No you idiot," her friend sighed, rolling her eyes. "Get the food. Quit staring at the human."

Cass nodded. Slowly getting to her feet she winced at the pain sparking at her ankle. She would have to deal with it, though. She had no other medicine and she doubted she would have enough coin to purchase any. Heck, she doubted any human market would even think of selling to her. Shaking such thoughts away Cass looked over at her imaginary friend. "Stay here and watch him."

"Yeah, yeah...whatever," her "friend" muttered as Cass stepped out of the tent and back into the annoyingly bright sunlight. Squinting against the nasty glare Cass flew low to the ground as she made her way back to the clearing. By the time she made it back she only found one wolf corpse. Not even bothering to wonder where the other one went Cass grabbed the animal's body and flew back to the tent, making sure to keep to as many shadows as possible.

Once back at the tent Cass carelessly dropped the body onto the ground and folded her wings up against her back. Her coat was currently stained with blood which she would have to clean later. But for now she would live without it. Ducking back into the tent she checked for Darian's pulse once more. Finding him still alive she smiled before grabbing the bloodstained dagger and returning out to deal with the wolf's body. Dragging the corpse over to a shadier spot she knelt down and carefully began dismembering the body. Using the dagger she made several jagged deep cuts into the wolf's neck until the head finally rolled off.

Cass continued on with her bloody work, working all the way through the day and into the night. Working as hard as she could she was only able to get about a pound of meat from the wolf. Even though Cass knew she could easily ditch the dagger and just start eating the wolf itself, it wouldn't help Darian. Gathering up the meat Cass tiredly returned to the tent. She found Darian still asleep. Setting the meat aside Cass collapse down, sleep claiming her tired body quickly.

[Darian]

His eyes fell over her as they crossed the tent, and he noticed that she was lying down near him, by all appearances resting peacefully. An uncharacteristic smile crept to his face, and he cocked his neck to the side stretching it out and he looked over at her ankle to inspect if it was ok. It looked bad the yesterday, but covered by her makeshift bandages, it looked much better even though he could see a collection of blood starting to bleed through the fabric like it was on the bandage around his arm. He would have to get them back to Sunberth quick before the both died of infection or blood loss, but her healing work did save him. " That's twice you have saved me " he whispered, and he could feel a twinge of softness in his heart for her, but he quickly hardened it. She'd likely betray me the first chance she got like the others, but he suppressed those thoughts, and instead focused on the fact that he owed her for saving him, no matter if she might try and take advantage of his present ease or not.

He noticed the meat that lay not too far from the entrance of the tent, and he nodded graciously to the sleeping Cass, and walked over to it, picking it up into his hands, and taking off his shredded cowl to place the meat on top of the long ago torn fabric. Darian then set about collecting wood for a fire, but kept his pace slow for fear of causing his arm to bleed drastically again. He didn't think he could survive another one of those. Slowly the wood began to pile up, and he began to stack it into a roughly square shape, before collecting some smaller twigs and dry grasses to serve as tender. He knew very little about how to make a fire but he supposed he could give it a try, he had to make due in the past, and he could do so now even with a lack of use with his left arm.

After placing a halve of wood that was very thick on the ground, and then took another thinner more pointed stick and held it in place against the flat of the wood with his right arm and moved it quickly back and forth against the wood, hoping the friction would create a bit of smoke. After several chimes of no luck, he was about to get up but then the flat piece of wood started to release tiny wisps of smoke before producing a strong stream of smoke a spark finally holding on the wood. He immediately started to heap handfuls of dry grass on top of the wood, the embers starting to flare out as soon as it touched the bright heat, and he quickly placed the large piece of burning wood in the center of his wood pile and watched as the fire came to life, flaring in such a way that it caused him to back off a little bit from the singing force of it, and elicited a smile from him. " There, that wasn't too difficult despite me only having done that once before " he pondered, before walking back over to where he had placed down the meat. Taking up a particularly sharp stick he skewered it through many lengths of the meat, and then stuck the long stick in the ground, the meat hovering above the fire. He wasn't a cook, but he supposed that would work, after all he wasn't aiming for the taste just the nutritional content it would give him.

Feeling a bit weak, he walked slowly away from the fire and back to where Cass was laying down, figuring the fire could handle itself for a bit, and sat down right next to her. In a movement that surprised even him, he stroked the hair from her face gently, but then sharply drew his hand back. What are you doing!? he berated himself. You barely even know her and already you are preening over her like she's some valuable artifact he continued shaking his head, and pulling his knees up he placed his face in his hands wondering to himself when did everything get so petching complicated, and why was he getting so soft with her around. She must be a hypnotist he thoughts trying to excuse his recent change in behavior but deep down inside he couldn't accept that explanation. The feelings he was feeling where dangerous, and for the first time in a long time he was afraid. He offered another glance over at her, and hoped that she had been asleep and didn't feel his touch. Slowly he stood up and walked back to the fire to tend to their meal, and his thoughts.

oocIf you want to wake up and react when he touches you just ignore the following stuff, it’s all hypothetical on if you don’t wake up or just are pretending to be asleep. Anything else you want to know or change you know how to reach me

[Cass]

"See!" Laughter burst into the air. "We told you!"

Cass could do nothing but stand and stare up at her eldest brother as his dark eyes fell upon her. Dissappointment seemed to bleed from every pore as his eyes began to narrow. The weight of his glare finally caused her to drop her gaze down to the dark dirty ground. Glancing down the length of her body she held back from brushing all the dirt off her dull grey skin.

"Cass," her brother's cold voice began. "Why did you cover yourself up in dirt?"

Her shoulders lifted up and then dropped in a small shrug, unable to meet his gaze. "I thought it would make my skin darker. Some of the humans have dark skin and-"

A vicious slap slammed across her cheek, her brother's sharp claws leaving scratches deep enough to bleed. "Don't you ever shame me like this again! Ever!"

Cass's eyes flew open, the laughter and pain from her dream trickling away as calm crackles of flames reached her ears. Her claws dug into the ground a tiny bit as her memories began to fade away. She laid completely still as she tried to remember where she was and how she had gotten here. The memories of yesterday's events flew back to her just in time to feel Darian's finger gently stroke a few strands of hair away from her face.

Panic kept Cass frozen in place. What should she do? What was Darian's motive behind the stroke? And...and he was awake? Suddenly she heard him rise up and walk away. Fighting to control her nerves Cass rolled over onto her back and sat up. The heat and bright light informed her that it was daylight hours. Well, that was annoying. She would need to break this habit of functioning in the daytime. She doubted it was good for her health.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes Cass blinked a few times till her eyes adjusted to the light. She found Darian awake and standing before a fire with the meat. Cass licked her lips. She tried to stand but her ankle screamed in protest. Wincing Cass instantly fell back onto her butt. Looking down at her ankle she noticed that blood was already leaking through the makeshift bandages. Not good. The fact that it hurt more to stand then it did yesterday...also not good.

"I hope your happy," her imaginary friend began, appearing next to her. "The human's alive. Whoopee. But look what he did! He stole your hard earned meat. How dare he. You should kill him."

Cass stopped, a realization exploding within her mind. This whole time she had been asleep...Darian could have easily killed her. In fact, hadn't he had every chance to betray her? But instead of simply killing her he chose to stay and...help. Clenching her jaw she kept her realization to herself. She had just found proof that the other Ziths had been wrong about the humans. Well, she had one counter example.

"Oh fine," her "friend" threw her hands up in disgust. "Don't listen to me. Play with the human. See how far it gets you. And when you're dead don't come crying to me!" Suddenly her imaginary friend was gone, finally leaving Cass completely alone with Darian.

"I-I, erm," she started, trying to figure out something to say. "I was only able to get some meat from the wolf. I had some trouble. How's your arm?" She hoped it was better than her ankle.

[Darian]

Why did I touch her? he asked himself over and over again as he sat staring into the fire, adjusting the stick every moment or so. Cass's words drew him from his contemplations, and he welcomed the interruption, looking over his shoulder towards her. " You salvaged more than I would have he responded with a slight smile, and he noticed her discomfort and sympathized with her. His arm felt like it was on fire whenever he moved it, and when he didn't it just felt like dead weight to him. It was a horrible feeling but it wasn't too bad and he'd live, for a while at least, till he could secure them proper treatment. With a easy movement he stood up and walked over to her, offering his good strong right hand to help her up, and walk her over to the flame. Should she accept his offered hand he would gently pull her arm over his strong shoulders, and walk slowly with her back over to the fire, with his right arm around her waist to help her with her balance. If she didn't accept his offered hand, he would simply sit beside her and talk with her further there.

As he sat next to her, he looked over at her ankle, it looked particularly painful, and his eyes looked up to meet hers. " May I take a look at it?" he asked and if she agreed he would gently place his hand underneath her calf, and raise her ankle up a little to take a closer look at it. After doing that he would take his own cowl, and tear it to shreds with his hands while letting her leg rest on top of his and he would gingerly remove her bandages, and replace them with the clean ones made up of what used to be his hood, before placing it back down, and looking up at her with a smile. " There that should hold, but I'm no expert with bandages mind you, or even slimly knowledgeable, I just know how to tie cloth " he would say almost embarrassed and would look away at a invisible spot for a few moments before he looked back at her and into her eyes. If she didn't let him look at her ankle he would simply look at the fire a bit before looking at her.

" My arm is fine, it hardly hurts anymore " he said, downplaying his injury. No need for them to be stressed after all. " The meat should be cooked good by now " he said as he pulled the stick back from the fire to reveal the roasted meat, charred on more places than not and let it cool for a bit before selecting portions. He placed the stick beside him, and grabbing at the tender meat ripped off a small portion for himself, and gave the larger portion to Cass, and quickly ate his pick. It didn't taste bad, and it didn't taste that good, but Darian was just happy to have something in him, so glad he didn't even mind the slight rawness of the meats center as he scarfed to meal down as dignified as he could. He had been starving, and the meat would provide him with some much needed energy. After he had finished he looked over at Cass to see how she liked it. " Sorry I'm not quite a chef either " he said almost apologetically, and he leaned back on his hands, favoring his right more than left, with his right hand nearest to Cass, close enough that if she similarly had her hand against the ground, it would be grazing it. If Darian seemed to notice touching Cass he didn't show it.

A brief chill washed over him, and suddenly he felt cold to his core as he sat there talking with Cass, and he shivered but he tried to keep it less than visible. His blood flow must be slowing down just a bit, and making his extremities colder, but he hoped the fire would warm him right up and get his blood pumping again. He would need everything in him to make the trip back to Sunberth with Cass so every little bit helped. " I'm afraid I am far more useful in the city than the wilderness " he added looking into the fire, the red and orange blaze mesmerizing him.

[Cass]

Cass cast a quick glance to where she had dumped the rest of the wolf's remains. Yes, some meat was better than none but Cass was sure that if she knew how to carve meat she would have come up with a lot more. Looking back over at Darian she gave him a small smile. "I guess so." It was the only answer she could come up with before he stood up and headed over to her, offering out his hand. Cass froze for a moment wondering about the meaning behind the offered hand. While threats born on instinct screamed at her to keep to herself for safety, Cass found herself taking Darian's hand.

In one swift motion Darian had her up and leaning slightly against him, with her arm over his shoulders, so that the least amount of weight was on her injured ankle. She was momentarly surprised by his strength. Then again, he had been a heavy human to carry. But it made sense. How she hadn't figured that out was beyond her. Letting Darian help lead her over to the fire she smiled again. While the fire's warmth did nothing -the sun's annoyingly bright rays had warmth very much under control- it was nice to hear the soft crackling of the flames and the smell of cooking meat. Cass couldn't even remember the last time she had tasted cooked meat.

Sitting down next to Darian Cass picked up a stray strick to poke the burning wood with for amusement. When Darian asked for a closer look at her ankle Cass hesitated. She wasn't used to being so close to people. She wasn't used to people tendering to her wounds or even staying with her this long. By now she should have scared Darian away but...here they were. Nodding, Cass let Darian gingerly lift her ankle up. She watched as he began tearing apart his cowl.

"You don't-" but he already did. She watched as careful, strong hands undid her bloodied makeshift bandages and applied the new makeshift bandages. "I'm no healer either. All I know about healing is pressure and bandages." Of course now such limited knowledge was coming back to bite her in the butt. It was clear she still had a lot to learn about...well...everything. "I'm glad your arm doesn't hurt anymore. Those wolves were...nasty." Taking her portion of the cooked meat Cass immediately started stuffing it down her throat greedily. The cooked meat tasted good, even if it was a little raw. But Cass didn't mind. Finally having something to eat had consumed her so much that it wasn't until she was licking the juice off her fingers that she remembered Darian's presence.

Quickly pulling her hand away from her mouth Cass stared at the ground, not at all proud at the inner hungry beast Darian had just been given a glimpse of. "N-No...it was good. W-Who needs a chef?" Setting her hands down to lean against them Cass kept her gaze away from Darian, still too embarassed to face him. Suddenly she felt a warm hand brush across her own. She finally looked back over at him but pulled her hand away from his slightly. She doubted that he wanted to touch the claws of a monster.

"I've never been to any city before," she confessed. "I have been by a few, but I've never went inside one. I was told once that things like me aren't really welcomed by others." Of course that didn't mean she never wanted to go into a city. "So then...you're a city man? What's it like?" She eyed his blades. "Are there monsters within the walls of a city as well?"

[Darian]

Subliminally he felt her hand move away from his, and it took all of his willpower not to follow it with his hand. What is happening with me, all this time able to keep to myself, and now this It was so unreal to him. He wanted to say it was simple animalistic desire, or because he felt gratitude for her saving of him, but those simple answers just didn't fit. Come on, I mean I keep wary around people in Sunberth, but put me outside with a zith and I’m all trusting Nothing made sense to him anymore, and he supposed it would never. She hadn't killed him yet, and they wore no more disguises, he guessed in a way she had sort of proven her trustworthiness to him, and he trusted her, at least for now.

" Yes, in the city, especially in one like Sunberth, there are monsters, so many you have to become a monster yourself just to survive " he said softly in a voice of experience. " Out here in the wild lands though I find you can kind of let loose in a manner, but still it's just as dangerous as we have found " he added as he stared into the fire, and he found he sort of missed the city, its familiar comforts, and his old ways, back when things where normal. Things where never normal with him though he knew, and it added to his discomfort at being so trusting, he was within a realm of emotion he knew nothing about. Anxiety of trusting someone rose up within his chest, and his hand would move toward hers seeking out comfort though he was on slightly aware of it. Should she not move her hand would go over hers, and he would give it a light squeeze and leave his hand holding hers.

" If you wear you disguise we should be able to easily get into the city, but it might be best if we entered it at night so they are less likely to see through it. From there I'll secure a place to stay, and with any luck a healer as well " he said musing, half his focus spent on the city, and the other half focused on her. After all her disguise had fooled him, and in broad day light and it should be very well able to pass in the city of Sunberth. If she didn't pull away, he would not curiously out of the corner of his eye that his hand was holding hers even though he had no recollection of it, but he would make no move to disengage his hand, at least not till either of them had to get up. It was odd, but he decided to roll with it for now unless he saw reason fit not to. " The city does have its perks though, such as warmth and shelter, but that's as far as it extends I'm afraid, any proficient shadow pad could likely get past a lock on the door, and there are plenty of other dangers as well " he said, knowing that the city was rife with them, himself having business with them on more than one occasion.

[Cass]

Become a monster herself to survive? Well that wouldn't be too hard. She already was a monster she would just have to...react solely on instinct. But doing that might cause bloodshed. No...it would. She smiled though when Darian mentioned being more loose in the wildlands. "The wildlands are easier to be yourself in. Nobody watching or judging. But you can easily get killed here." Glancing at her ankle Cass let that dark truth linger in her head for a moment. Yes, she had found some form of escape by exploring the world and sticking to the wilderness but she was also dealing with a whole new form of danger. Cass didn't know if she could have survived the attack from the three wolves alone.

Lost in her thoughts Cass hadn't realized Darian's hand over hers until she felt his hand give hers a light squeeze. Jolted from her thoughts she looked down at both of thier hands. Did he know he was touching her? It looked odd, her clawed hand in his smooth human hand. No, it didn't belong together. It couldn't belong together but...she couldn't pull away. And besides, who was watching? Nobody. There weren't any other Ziths around to point out all her failures and condemn her for seeking a different direction in life. No, she had left that cruel world far behind for something she had no idea bloody clue about.

Cass found herself nodding when Darian spoke of her disgiuse. "I'll need to wash the blood out of my coat but it should work." Yes, it very well could. There was plenty of mud and dirt to cover her exposed skin and after washing her coat her wings would be hidden. Boots and gloves covered up her claw-like hands and feet. The only way her disgiuse would fail is if Darian double crossed her and exposed her himself. She doubted he would but it was a risk she was willing to take. "Warmth, shelter and medicine is all we need. If we come across thieves we'll treat 'em like the wolves."

Glancing up at the annoyingly bright sky Cass let out a sigh. "What time is it? I don't really function during daylight hours. It's still new to me." Depending on the time Cass would have to get started on preparing her disgiuse so they could be ready to go when night fell. Excitment rolled through her. She couldn't help it. She had never dared to enter a human citry alone in fear that she would be targeted a killed. But now she had a chance to experience how humans really lived.

[Darian]

The area around them seemed so surreal, and all he could notice was the feel of her hand. Despite the differences in them it felt actually pretty good, and he couldn't yet bring himself to release her hand instead choosing to tangle them further by lacing his fingers through hers, not minding when he brushed against her claws. It felt good for brief moments while he kept himself distracted with talk with her. " Well I use a good washing myself so we could return to that pond really quick, and get our things done, and then might do with some rest waking at night to enter the city, how does that sound? " he asked. He yearned to wash all the dirt and blood off of him that stuck to him like sticky tack, and pulled at the hairs on his arm. It was discomforting at worst thought and he didn't need one but that didn't stop him from wanting one. He was still a man who liked to take care of himself when he wasn't trying to be disguised, and he certainly didn't need to be disguised around this woman. A woman he was holding hands with he suddenly remembered.

Darian couldn't remember the last time he had gotten this close to a woman or more like he could but he didn't want to remember so much that he simply didn't anymore not even if he tried. He felt unsafe so vulnerable next to her, and at the same time he felt more protected than ever before, after all she had saved his life twice, but there were other ways a woman could hurt you, this he knew all too well. Memories of blood all over his past home flashed before his eyes, and his back hurt slightly, the wound of a dagger all those years ago still felt as keenly as if it had been received only moments ago. With an effort of will, he suppressed and locked away the memory, but on the outside he just appeared to stare blankly at the fire, his eyes holding the only truth of the fires burning within him. Snapping out of his daze and looking back over at her, he offered her a smile filled with mixed emotions.

" I'd say it's still early in the morning still several bells before midday so we have plenty of time to bide " he answered after a brief study of the sky. The sun didn't bother his eyes, attuned as they were to the warm radiance. He sympathized with her disorientation in the daylight, and slowly he let go of her hand and stood up, only to offer his hand again to help her up. " Pond first? " he asked, and if she agreed he would help her get all of her stuff, and her permitting help her over to the pond with his arm around her waist and her arm over his neck like before until they got to the edge of the body of water. From there he would let go of her gently, and make sure she was steady on her feet before he stripped of his Night leather cuirass, and let it drop down to the ground, being careful about his arm.

His muscles glistened with a thin sheen of sweat, and matted blood caked his left shoulder from where the blood pooled when he was on the ground. He flexed a little bit to get them loose before working on getting his wrists guards, along with the rest of the armor that covered his arms dropping them in a pile on top of the cuirass before taking a brief walk behind a stand of tall grass that was thankfully near the pond. Darian trusted her, and even came close enough to hold hands with her, but he did not like the idea of her seeing him nude, so open, so vulnerable. It wasn't like he didn't like he body, he liked his form, it was just that it would be awkward and he would feel exposed if he did that.

From behind the protective cover of the grasses, he stripped off the rest of his armor as well his undergarment before he walked into the pond, becoming waist deep into the water before anything could be seen he hoped. The water felt cold and refreshing to him, and he really enjoyed the chill of the water and how he it felt against his body that had been hot from the fire. " The water feels great, you’re welcome to come in, it’s actually quite enjoyable and might offer you some relief from the sun " he said kindly to the woman watching her.

oocOnce again the last part is hypothetical and all depends if you let him help you up or not. Also you can already be in the water if you want, as its hypothetical as well.

[Cass]

Her mind went blank when Darian's fingers tangled themselves into hers. It couldn't have been a mistake. No. How could one mistake entangling their fingers with a clawed beast? But now she was left wondering what to say. What did one say in such a situation? Cass was glad when Darian broke the short silence. Looking at him again she did begin to notice the dirt and dried blood. "Yes. I think we both need a wash before we continue." A wash and rest sounded excellent. Espeically rest. It was no wonder her kind disliked functioning in the daylight. The hot rays were annoying.

Cass spotted Darian staring blankly into the fire. She started to speak but stopped. Who did she think she was? She could barely overcome her own problems. She closed her mouth and decided to let Darian have his moment. There was a look in his eyes that hinted of a past pain, but the moment quickly vanished as he rose up and held his hand out to her. Cass took it and was once again surprised by Darian's strength as he effortlessly pulled her to her feet. "Yes to the pond. But I need to get something first."

It was still painful to walk but Cass did her best with Darian's help. Though she couldn't wait until her ankle was finally healed. Heading over to where her coat laid Cass bent down and scooped it up. She then spotted the bloodstained dagger laying on the ground as well. Cass had no idea how to clean a blade but picked it up anyway to take with them to the pond. She felt a bit guilty about the blade. The only reason it was dirty was because she had used it on the wolves.

With Darian's help Cass walked with him back towards the pond. Everything seemed calm and clear. There was absolutely no hint that a bloody battle had happened. After Darian carefully let her go Cass dropped her things on the grass while watching Darian strip his upper body of his black armor and clothes. Cass went rigid, an odd feeling stirring up deep in the pit of her stomach. The feeling kept growing as he stood there, inncoently remvoing his wristguards. This...this wasn't right. She was being silly. There was no reason for such emotions to be stirring up like this.

Cass's rigid body eased when Darian disappeared behind some tall grass. She quickly looked away to focus on what needed to get done. She had a coat and short blade to be cleaned along with her own body. Yes. Focus. She could do this! Looking back over at the pond her eyes widened at the sight of Darian waist deep in the pond. Shaking unnecessary thoughts from her head Cass let her wings fold up around her body before stripping out of her own clothes. Laying her clothes beside Darian's black armor Cass carefully stepped into the pond, keeping her wings folded around her body to conceal her lady gifts.

"You're right," Cass spoke up with a smile as she walked deeper into the pond, towards Darian. "It's...perfect." The pond had a wonderful chill to it that cooled her entire body down. Stopping about a foot away from Darian Cass took a moment just to enjoy the cool water. She could feel the dirt washing away from her dull grey skin. Cass looked down at Darian's bandaged arm. "Wolves can be such nasty creatures."